Vertisols

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-029694",
  "term": "Vertisols",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "The central concept of Vertisols is that of clayey soils that have deep, wide cracks for some time during the year and have slickensides within 100 cm of the mineral soil surface. They shrink when dry and swell when moistened. Vertisols make up a relatively homogeneous order because of the amounts and kinds of clay common to them; however, their microvariability within a pedon is great. Before the advent of modern classification systems, these soils were already well known for their characteristic color, the cracks they produce during the dry season, and the difficulty of their engineering properties.",
  "references": [
    "USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys (1999)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/vertisols/"
}